sempuki

At last he seems to understand. It's pretty clear he's referring to Bramble there.

That idea stopped years ago.

They couldn't afford his wages.

He's on FA.com and looks a bit like SWP - don't know if he plays like him though.

Feeling the love Mar 11 2007 By Neil Farrington, The Sunday Sun Kieron Dyer is frustrated and confused. But then, who isn't one or the other when they've just fallen in love? Frustrated and confused by switching positions so often that he no longer has a clue what his best role is. But fallen in love - or back in love, at least - with a game he took for granted before being shut out of it for 18 months while ill or injured. And the good news for Newcastle is that Dyer is feeling the love more than he is the confusion or frustration. "You do take this job for granted," says the older, wiser England international. "You do take your eye off the ball and become complacent. "But to have it taken away from you for 18 months - with people saying your career could be over - makes you fall in love with it again. "You can't wait to get back training, and you can't wait to be back playing again. "Well, that's certainly been the case with me, and long may that feeling continue." But not all in Dyer's life is chocolates and roses, with the 28-year-old still not sweet on being switched from pillar to post - by club and country. And he admits the bitter truth is that he now has no idea what his best position is. "People always ask me that question. But I'm so confused now, I don't know," he admits. "I'll play anywhere I'm asked to play - for England as well. I learnt the hard way that football's not about individuals, it's about a team. "But you talk about consistency . . . how are you meant to find consistency when one week you are in centre midfield, then you're up front, then you're right wing? "Along with injuries, it's just something I've had to live with. But it's frustrating, and I honestly don't know where my best position is now. "I just wonder where I'm going to play next. But as long as I'm playing, I don't really mind." Dyer's versatility has also been both boon and bane at England level. And you get the impression it is why he plays down suggestions that he may be the answer to the David Beckham dilemma. Replacing the former skipper and right-sided stalwart is proving such a problem that the Bring Becks Back bandwagon is rolling ahead of this month's Euro 2008 qualifiers in Israel and Andorra. "In the game against Spain last month, I played parts of the first half on the left and parts of the second half on the right," said Dyer. "You do what the manager says, give it your all and hopefully you can do a job for them. "But with the debate over whether Frank Lampard and Stevie Gerrard can play together in the centre, Owen Hargreaves putting in some great performances and the emergence of Aaron Lennon, there's a lot of competition for places. "The manager and Terry (Venables) will have their ideas. I just hope I'm in the squad to find out what those ideas are."

Champions class Toon Mar 11 2007 By Neil Farrington, The Sunday Sun Az Alkmaar star Nourdin Boukhari has hailed Newcastle as a "Champions League team". Reflecting on United's 4-2 first-leg win in midweek, midfielder Boukhari rates them better than any side AZ have faced this season. But the second-half penalty that the Dutch outfit scored at St James's Park will prove decisive in Thursday's return game in Holland, he insists. "We are analysing the result positively because everything looked terrible in the first half," said Boukhari. "I believed that we were in for a big defeat. "Newcastle played well. We made it hard for them in the end but they were like a Champions League team - far better than Fenerbahce or Ajax. "But with our fans behind us, scoring two goals against them at home is very likely. "We need to improve defensively, because Newcastle are very strong in attack. But I want and expect a magical European night."

Newcastle Utd U18 2, Liverpool U18 4 Mar 11 2007 By The Sunday Sun United's kids of 2007 need a near miracle to match the class of `85 after schoolboy errors cost them dear at St James's Park. By having a hand in three of Liverpool's goals, Newcastle surrendered the initiative ahead of the semi-final second leg. But Joe Joyce's largely rookie side showed great spirit in refusing to lay down arms completely. And with Andy Carroll around, they may just yet emulate Gazza and Co by reaching the final. United's lofty centre-forward dragged his side back into the game with a superb 63rd-minute header with Liverpool coasting at 3-0 up. And the second-half examination he gave the Reds' rattled back four will at least keep them honest at Anfield a week tomorrow. Unfortunately, Liverpool were 4-1 up by the time Carroll's 15-year-old strike partner Ryan Donaldson forced Jimmy Ryan to put through his own net. But therein lies United's greatest hope of all: their age. As well as Donaldson, the likes of Newcastle schemer Kazenga LuaLua and left-back Mark Bertram are just 16; winger Jonny Godsmark is 17. Whatever befalls this side in the return leg, their long-term future looks bright. LuaLua impressed only in flashes yesterday - starved of the ball for long periods as Liverpool bossed possession. But he showed enough to justify the excitement surrounding him. And after a first 40 minutes in which the visitors were decisively on top, United's midfield duo of Mark Doninger and skipper Rob Cavener impressed. Shame that Liverpool had one foot in the final by then. Newcastle goalkeeper Mark Cook is highly rated, so there's every chance he will learn - rather than suffer - for his troubles yesterday. They began in the 24th minute, when his pass hurried Ross Cowan into a clearance which fell straight to Liverpool's Charlie Barnett. The midfielder barely looked up before unleashing a shot from the best part of 35 yards. And, despite getting a firm hand to the ball low to his right, Cook - who had already turned aside a similar strike from Ryan - saw it squirm over his line. Those openings - and a free header sent flying over by Astril Ajdarevic - were testament to Liverpool's early superiority. And when Craig Lindfield doubled their lead eight minutes before the break, a hiding seemingly beckoned for the hosts. Ajdarevic provided the through ball, and Lindfield - benefitting from Cook's decision not to close him down - steered a neat finish into the bottom left-hand corner. But where lesser young men would have gone under, United kicked against the red tide. Having previously looked to find Carroll too often from deep, they finally strung enough passes together for Doninger and Cavener to gain a foothold in central midfield. That in turn allowed the wandering LuaLua to get onto the ball. And with the service to him improving, Carroll himself posed more of a threat. No more so than when his shot on the turn was blocked by the legs of keeper Martin Hansen and rebounded into the path of Bertram, only for the full-back's shot to be cleared off the line. Moments earlier, Bertram had seen his lofted ball into the box headed inches wide of his own goal by Stephen Darby. Something for United to build on though - and they set straight back to work after the interval. Only Donaldson will know how his follow-up shot missed an empty net after a LuaLua effort had been deflected his way by Hansen. And Liverpool were forced to absorb prolonged pressure as the hour-mark approached. But then more Magpie charity left the visitors seemingly home and dry. Cook could only clear a cross as far as the edge of the box, where Barnett dispatched a shot which was well saved but put in on the rebound by Ryan Flynn. Yet again though, Newcastle's spirit kept them afloat. Three minutes later, Carroll finally received a cross worthy of him, and the result was formidable - Doninger's centre dispatched with a towering header into the bottom right-hand corner. Game on. Or at least it was for the eight minutes until Alex Francis endured a moment which will hopefully also spur him on to better days. Even if it was prompted by a call from Cook, the centre-half's back header fell way short of his keeper - as Flynn lurked in the gap. What followed - the cutest of lobs over a stranded last line of defence - was reminiscent of a certain Micheal Owen. Considering Carroll had grazed the bar from 20 yards in the run up to the moment which will haunt Francis, United now had overwhelming cause to give up the ghost. But back they came - and quickly. From another delivery into the box by Doninger - from the right side this time - Donaldson pressured Ryan into volleying into his own net. For the final quarter-of-an-hour, it was pretty much all Newcastle. But Carroll fired across the face of goal, and Donaldson volleyed over. So salvation proved beyond them. But United still have their pride - and a glimmer of hope. Sights still set on final Newcastle academy boss Joe Joyce insists his boys' sights are still set on reaching the FA Youth Cup final. United face the formidable prospect of retrieving a two-goal deficit at Anfield in their semi-final second leg against holders Liverpool. But Joyce maintained that his side are more than a match for the Reds - if they can cut out the mistakes which cost them yesterday. "I'm disappointed to come away with a 4-2 defeat and with the way we played for the first 30 minutes," said Joyce. "But from the moment we went 2-0 down, we forgot about the size of the occasion and our nerves and got back into the game. "The lads didn't play to their potential in that first half-hour, and I can't put that down to anything but nerves. "But I thought we played terrifically well in the second half and were unfortunate not to score more goals. "Of course, we've also got to be better defensively, but we've seen in the second half today that there is a way you can get behind this Liverpool side and score goals. "We have the ability - not least through Andy Carroll - to hurt them at Anfield, where they may be the ones who are nervous." And apart from man-of-the-match Carroll, Joyce is expecting another player to rise to the challenge of causing an upset in the return leg. "We've not seen the best of Kazenga LuaLua today," added the boss. "He's been carrying a bit of an injury but should be fully fit and raring to go for the second game. "We've now got a week to reflect, do more work and get ourselves ready for what is a very big test. But this tie is not over by any means." Meanwhile, Liverpool coach Steve Heighway admitted his side had been kept honest by Newcastle. "Credit to them, they stepped it up in the second half and put us under pressure," said the Anfield legend. "We had had a good look at Andy Carroll beforehand and told the lads not to give away too many free kicks, because he is so strong in the air. But they did!" Fans' view: Which of these youngsters has a first-team future at Unied? "Andy carroll - i see what the fuss has been about him now. He's awesome in the air and is decent with the ball at his feet. "It's difficult to see too many of the others coming through, but LuaLua looks a handful when he's on the ball." ALAN TEMPLE, Kenton. "Lualua has a lot to learn but it's great to see a player running at defenders with pace like he does. "Carroll was really impressive too once we got balls in to him from out wide. "But in terms of composure, I liked the look of the skipper, Cavener." SEAN THOMPSON, Chapel Park. "Carroll's clearly got a future because he'll give anyone problems in the air. What a spring he's got on him! "But I was impressed with the other lad up front, Donaldson. For a 15-year-old, he looks strong and knows where the goal is." STEVE LAIDLAW, Wallsend.

Dyer: I've hit a brick wall Mar 11 2007 By The Sunday Sun Kieron Dyer admits he has "hit a brick wall" since Christmas as the adrenalin rush of his comeback has ebbed away. But Newcastle fans needn't worry: tiredness rather than twinges has been Dyer's worry in recent weeks. Indeed, United's long lost son has so much faith in his underlying fitness that he does not want the season to end. "They say adrenalin gets you through the first 10 or 15 games back. And when I first came back into the team, I felt amazing," says Dyer. "But there was a spell after the Christmas period, because I'd been out for so long, when I was hitting a brick wall. "My legs were absolutely knackered. Not my hamstrings, just my legs in general. "I had been missing a lot of training. I was turning up on the training pitch on just a Thursday and a Friday and then playing on a Saturday." In that context, United boss Glenn Roeder's anger at Steve McClaren's decision to play Dyer throughout England's friendly against Spain on February 7 appears more than justified. "He (Roeder) was a bit gutted that I played the full 90 minutes because my legs needed a rest," adds Dyer. "But that means it may be a big blessing in disguise for me that we are out of the FA Cup. "We've got another free weekend now, we're getting the weekend off, and it will be good to recharge our batteries for the great run-in we have coming. "And with the players we've got coming back, the manager may be able to chop and change, which he's not been able to do this season. "I'm just gutted that the season is going to be over in seven or eight weeks. But that's life."

Apparently he hasn't been taken on.

Manure win it in the last minute. They had 10 men too.

Looks like Anton is on Roeder's list: In with a shout Mar 3 2007 By Alan Oliver, The Evening Chronicle Glenn Roeder is hoping that Newcastle United will make a big noise in the close-season transfer market - in more ways than one. For the United boss has made it clear that he wants to recruit players who will put his side in with a shout - literally. "I want to hear more loud voices in our dressing room and out on the field and this will be reflected in any signings I make in the summer," said Roeder. "Scott Parker is very good in the dressing room but we need to have a few more characters and a louder dressing room and that's what I am looking for." The United boss has been delighted to see his young French midfielder Charles N'Zogbia come more out of his shell this week. Roeder himself was a "shouter" and organiser in his time in the United defence, but in recent seasons this is something that has been most definitely lacking. Ironically, one player who has had too much to say for himself and got himself in trouble is West Ham central defender Anton Ferdinand. Ferdinand has been put in his place, first by his boss Alan Curbishley this week, and this was followed by a court appearance after an alleged fracas outside an Essex nightclub. Roeder will watch closely what happens to Ferdinand, who I know he feels would be better getting out of London, and he will also keep an eye on the situation at Upton Park. For make no mistake about it, if West Ham are, as is looking increasingly likely, relegated then there will be a lot of big-name departures from the East London club. Roeder was not too keen on Dean Ashton last summer because he felt the prime quality any new striker had to have was pace. Well, Roeder got this in Obafemi Martins, and it is now a different situation regarding Ashton, whose big pal is his fellow England Under-21 international Steven Taylor. But I still feel that if United are to sign a striker in the summer then the one they would like is Ryan Babel of Ajax. One player not in Roeder's sights, despite reports to the contrary, is West Ham skipper and midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker. But Steve Sidwell at Reading, whose contract runs out at the end of the season, may be a different proposition, especially with Emre's future up in the air. Roeder still plans to recall Emre for Thursday's UEFA Cup tie with AZ Alkmaar at St James' Park despite a second racism charge hanging over the Turkish midfielder.

Warning - long article! Antoine Sibierski: 'I never felt any confidence from Stuart Pearce last year... but for Glenn Roeder I could go on and on' It has been one of the stories of the season: Antoine Sibierski's transformation from Manchester City misfit to Tyneside hero. Simon Rushworth spoke to him about managerial shortcomings and footballing friendships Published: 03 March 2007 The list is endless when considering the Newcastle United forwards who have suffered the wrath of the Gallowgate masses for failing to match the impeccable standards set by Messrs Gallacher, Milburn, Macdonald and Shearer. However, the majority have, at the very least, been afforded a week or two to find their feet before feeling the full force of Geordie frustration. Not so Antoine Sibierski. The unfortunate Frenchman was pilloried by sections of the St James's Park faithful within hours of finalising a transfer-deadline-day move to Tyneside last August and long before he was finally handed one of the club's famous black-and-white shirts. A year after Newcastle had made Michael Owen their club-record signing, four months after Shearer kicked his last ball for his hometown heroes and just days after the £10m capture of the Nigerian forward Obafemi Martins, the signing of Sibierski went down like a lead balloon. There are some who suggested a lead balloon would actually perform better in the air. "I had just left Manchester City and only heard bad things being said about me there," recalls the 32-year-old. "Some City fans were quick to criticise me and that's all I was thinking about when I signed for Glenn Roeder. I didn't have time to think about what the Newcastle supporters may or may not think. "I was just so hurt by the reaction of the City fans. I have always been an honest player and it was really painful to hear what they were saying about me when I left. I didn't think too much about the fact that Newcastle fans were unhappy with my signing. After the first few days I felt it a little bit. But the feeling disappeared within a few days." Initially aghast at Roeder's recruitmentNewcastle fans were swift to compare Sibierski to such goalscoring nonentities as Rob McDonald, Frank Pingel and Tony Cunningham. In the short term, however, Sibierski was simply relieved to have finally severed his ties with Stuart Pearce. A mild-mannered, considerate and fair man, Sibierski is never more angry or animated than when Pearce's name is mentioned. "I was disappointed with the way things ended at City," he says, barely masking months of simmering bitterness. "I didn't deserve that. Even if, last year, I didn't play very well I always gave everything. I hate to find excuses. Even if you don't do things right you have to find a reason why and you have to accept that. Sometimes it can happen. "But last season I did have excuses. I didn't play regularly because I was injured and when I did play I didn't get a run in my best position. I never felt any confidence from Stuart Pearce last year. It is why, even when I was on the pitch, I was not the real Antoine Sibierski. I was like another player. When you play without confidence you cannot be at ease with yourself and perform to the best of your abilities. "I am still the same player who left City last August but I am a player with confidence this season. If you have the full support of your manager and your club, then you can be a different player." Roeder is the man who has overseen the tranformation in Sibierski's fortunes. He recognised the need for a new work ethic within the lame squad he inherited from his predecessor, Graeme Souness, and saw the Frenchman as a potentially unifying figure. As unselfish as he is unspectacular, the former France Under-21 international has forged a more than useful partnership with Premiership newcomer Martins and the pair have shared 22 goals in their first season together. "Maybe we have surprised many people but I'm not surprised at all because we are two different players and we work together well," says Sibierski, who scored against the Estonians of Levadia Tallinn on his Newcastle debut. "It's simple. I'm tall, he's small. He's quick, I'm not so quick. I'm good in the air and so is Oba. I think our partnership is effective because Oba can feel that when I'm on the pitch with him I'm not going to be selfish. My first idea when I have the ball is to play it into him. He is the main striker for Newcastle and the team wants him to finish as top scorer this season." Sibierski has forged his reputation as the foil throughout a largely unheralded career. Just ask Nicolas Anelka. The Bolton Wanderers forward is one of Sibierski's biggest fans and the feeling is entirely mutual. "He's the same as Oba. He's quick and is a fantastic footballer. Oba and Nicolas are typical strikers and they have to score before me. "I am the kind of player who looks for his scorer as soon as he has the ball. I am not a striker in the sense of scoring 20 goals a season but I love to play around and behind the main man. I'm delighted to be at Newcastle because here the manager understands that is where I am at my best and he recognises I am effective in this position. When I am on the pitch I know the manager has confidence in me. He knows I can score my fair share of goals and he trusts me and believes in me. That's very important as a player to feel that." The criticism of Pearce is so thinly veiled that comes as no surprise to learn that the pair did not discuss the relative merits of a move to Newcastle and that not so much as a handshake was exchanged during a tense parting of the ways. Picturing Sibierski as a sullen rebel without a City cause is difficult, to say the least. His new team-mates describe an amiable family man and a model professional, an energising force and a valuable friend. Friendship is clearly of great significance to Sibierski. "It's important to get to know your team-mates outside of football," he says. He came face to face with his best man, the former Kilmarnock defender Frédéric Dindeleux, when Newcastle tackled Zulte Waregem in the last 32 of this season's Uefa Cup last month. "You have more chances to win trophies as a team if you make an effort to bond together as men. Every player in every position has to feel comfortable with the man alongside him. "I spend a bit of time with Oba off the pitch because he's a good guy who I want to get to know socially. We have had lunch in a few Newcastle restaurants and we often sit together on the team bus or plane and talk about our lives outside football. We are not the best friends in the world - we have only known each other for a matter of months - but we are close. "Oba is a funny man. I like to listen to him talking in his native Nigerian tongue because it's a little bit of English mixed with a little bit of something strange! You can understand odd words but you can't always understand what he's trying to say. Every so often he drifts into Italian and that's when he sounds funniest. On the telephone it is hilarious to hear this Nigerian voice speaking Italian and we're always teasing him about the way he sounds. "The main thing about Oba is that he knows where he has come from. That is important if you are going to understand many things in life and in football. He is a great footballer and has a great life but when he was young he didn't have things easy in Nigeria. Just because he has a lot of money now doesn't mean he will ever forget the time when he was young and poor. That's why he is such a good guy and why he is a very clever man." If Pearce is a high-profile exception, then Sibierski's friends in football far outnumber his enemies. Patrick Vieira is, perhaps, his closest friend of all, even if the respective careers of two outstanding teenage prospects have taken utterly different courses. Where Sibierski has carved out a role as the quintessential journeyman, his childhood acquaintance rapidly became one of the biggest names in world football. "I met Patrick 14 years ago," smiled a wistful Sibierski. "He has never changed. As soon as I met him we felt great together on and off the pitch. I remember I was with my wife, Isabelle, and she wanted to go on holiday but I was playing football. We were in Lille and Patrick was in Cannes and so I asked him if he would welcome Isabelle into his home and look after her. "I hadn't known him for very long then but he said to tell my wife to come down to the South of France and he would look after her for 10 days. He said he would do his very best for her and make sure she had a good holiday. When Isabelle came back she couldn't stop talking about how helpful he had been. She didn't know him very well before the holiday but returned to Lille talking about how she had a met a nice, kind man. After that our friendship blossomed. "It is not only about football with Patrick. Our friendship is about life. When we don't play football during the holidays we like to spend time together in Cannes or wherever we might be during the summer. Even if I don't speak to him for a while he will ring Isabelle to see how she is doing with the children. He's very close to us all. We have been on family holidays but the last time we spent a lot of time together was in June 2005 when Patrick got married. We went to the wedding and had three or four days together in Cannes." Friendship and family, Sibierski readily admits, are the glues which bond a fragmented life shaped by a tough upbringing in France's industrial north and the painful deaths of his mother and grandmother. "My parents didn't have much money but I always thank them for the education and the upbringing that I had," said a father-of-three determined to put football into focus. "I think I am a good person and that is down to my mum and dad. Football makes me very happy but how you conduct yourself and how you are a family man is what matters. Football is not everything. As a child I experienced some good things and some bad things but that is what life is about. You learn more about life through bad things happening. You grow up quicker. "When my grandmother died it hit me hard. Then, when I was 25 and making my name as a professional footballer, my mother died. That was a very unhappy time and I found it very difficult to deal with. Every day I think about her and every day I want to be honest with myself because that's what she taught me. Wherever she is I want my mum to be proud of me - that is my motivation every day." When Newcastle's new cult favourite stepped off the bench to score against Aston Villa on 31 January it was a goal of greater significance than most. "It was the seventh anniversary of my mother's death and I didn't feel like playing football that day. When I scored the goal I was overcome with emotion." Sibierski is looking forward to facing Middlesbrough in this afternoon's Tyne-Tees derby, but admits: "We haven't got the best team out there every Saturday. On paper people could pick a better Newcastle side but we have fought our way into the last 16 of the Uefa Cup and made steady progress in the Premiership despite a terrible injury list. It means a lot to me to be in a team which has shown such character and it means a lot to the other players. "People didn't expect me to be playing every week when I signed for this club. People didn't expect Matty Pattison would be starting a Premiership game at White Hart Lane. People didn't expect Paul Huntington and David Edgar to score their first League goals this season. Perhaps people didn't expect Peter Ramage and Steven Taylor to be the backbone of our defence. "All of those players have helped us to win games and the team spirit is great. We are very happy to live and work together. We look forward to every day in training and that's why we compete so hard for each other on the pitch. It's easy for us to play together because we all want the same thing and that is to win games for Newcastle United when others doubt us. Sometimes I am surprised how much I can give every game. At 32 I feel physically fitter than ever but that is because mentally I am in great shape. For Glenn I could go on and on." As he exchanges schoolboy jokes and knowing glances with his grateful United colleagues it is impossible to imagine Sibierski as a disaffected outcast seemingly lacking respect for one of English football's most talismanic figures. Respect, you see, is at the very root of this endearing Frenchman's philosophy. "It's more and more difficult living in France these days and a lack of respect is the biggest problem. We can see that there is a lot of bad feeling between certain groups. I don't know why. It is surely a better country to be where there are several different cultures and people from around the world. But in France some people don't see it that way. "It would be great if we could stop the prejudice but it isn't happening yet. We have to fight against it and when you are a dad you have to teach your children that it is not fair to hate anyone wherever they might have come from. I think the best thing to teach your children is respect. If you respect everyone, then you will be respected. That's what I teach my children but not everybody does the same."

Woodgate content to keep options open By Rob Stewart Jonathan Woodgate will make his 27th appearance of the season for Middlesbrough today when he returns to St James' Park and believes he has already made Newcastle regret their failure to re-hire him last summer. The clubs were locked in a race for Woodgate's services when Real Madrid let him leave the Bernabeu on loan last summer after two injury-blighted seasons that saw the former Newcastle player figure just 12 times among the galacticos. Since then Woodgate has regained his place in the England squad, while excelling in Boro's defence. Newcastle have struggled at the back, with just four clean sheets in the Premiership compared to their neighbours' seven. As he looked ahead to the Tyne-Tees derby, Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder hinted at former misgivings over the reliability of a centre-half his club sold to Real for £13.4 million in 2004. "That's Glenn's opinion but it might have backfired on him a bit," Woodgate said. "I was always confident in my ability to stay fit this season. I'd done a full pre-season with Madrid and not had a niggle. Even then I expected to get back into the England squad." Woodgate was won over by the lure of his home-town club. "I always said if I had the opportunity to come to Boro, I would come. I am a Boro lad," Woodgate added. "Newcastle wanted me but I don't know if they wanted me as much as Boro." Woodgate will leave any decision on his long-term future until the summer. "I've not ruled out a move to another Premier League club but I'm a Madrid player," said Woodgate, whose future will be settled by three factors: happiness, ambition and European football. "My options are open," he said.

Was involved in all of Derby's 5 goals last night. Looking to be the real thing but will no doubt be expensive.

How will people react? Good news in my opinion.

If we were to re-sign Woodgate which I doubt we will, he would of course become once more a perma crock. Must be those dodgy training ground pitches.....

Owen talks up Roeder and aims for league return in March Michael Walker Wednesday February 28, 2007 The Guardian Michael Owen, who is continuing his rehabilitation from injury and hopes to return for Newcastle United on March 31 against Manchester City, tried to give dejected Newcastle fans a boost yesterday after the club's defeat at Wigan Athletic on Sunday. The 1-0 result left Newcastle 11th in the Premiership but the England striker said: "We have had a good season to be where we are with all of the injuries we have had. There is a good chance it can improve, too." Owen was referring to the Uefa Cup. Newcastle have reached the last 16 where they face AZ Alkmaar, with the first leg at St James' next Thursday. If Owen were fit by the end of March and if Newcastle were to overcome Alkmaar he would be available for the quarter-final of a competition he won with Liverpool in 2001. But he would undoubtedly be happier to help Newcastle mount an effort to get back into Europe next season via their league position. "This has been Glenn Roeder's first full season and he has had time to assess his squad. I would have thought you will see his stamp on the team next season," said Owen. "I have been impressed with a lot of the lads he already has in the squad but hopefully he will bring more players in the summer. It will be interesting because it will be down to his team, but I have to say in the year he has been in charge Glenn has done well given the circumstances."

You know it, I know it but......

How did Curtis Davies cope against him?

That looks right to me and he doesn't have to drop any of his favourites.

I'm glad they beat us to the signing of Huth - what a crock he's turning out to be.

Dyer especially.

It looks like we'll be 11th after today, we've got very little chance of Europe. Hopefully you're wrong but I think you're right. 10 games to go and we need to go on a serious run of form which we've never looked like doing this season.

Nothing positive from today - just get it sorted for next week.

Is he on acid?